CINCINNATI, Ohio | Shooting an impressive 7-under, bogey-free round on Thursday in Cincinnati, Ruixin Liu took the first-round lead at the Kroger Queen City Championship, the first post-round lead she has ever held in her five seasons on the LPGA Tour. The People’s Republic of China golfer tied her career-low round on Tour with her Thursday 65, which was highlighted by seven birdies in her first 13 holes. It is her low round of the 2023 season and just her fifth individual round in the 60’s this year. And, it got off to an unideal start, according to Liu.
“Well, so I didn't get off to a good start on the first hole, but I made the putt,” said Liu, whose second shot on the par-4 first hole went into the greenside bunker. After freeing her ball from the sand, Liu made a long par putt to earn her first of two sand saves on Thursday. She followed her par save with two straight birdies on 2 and 3, added two more on 6 and 7 and made the turn in 31 with an additional birdie on 9. On the back nine, she made birdie on 11 and 13 before ending the round with five pars in a row.
“On the second hole was a reachable par-5 so I hit my 3-wood on the green (in two) and it was like 18 yards, two-putt. And then I made I think 15 feet on the third hole, and from that point on the putter is just rolling great,” said Liu, though she believes she left one birdie out there. “I pretty much made everything except for hole No. 12. That's the only bad hole I played today, because my second shot was only like 18 feet to the hole for eagle and I three-putt that one.”
This season, Liu has made the cut in half of her 14 starts with a best finish of T9 at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational alongside playing partner Yan Liu. She has withdrawn from two events after the first round this season, including last week’s Portland Classic.
“To be honest with you I withdraw last week because I was having severe allergy like I always do,” she said. “I'm still a little not clear today. I don't know how I did this good, but it happen and I'm very happy to take it.”
Four players sit one stroke behind Liu at T2. Filipina golfer Dottie Ardina made seven birdies in her first ten holes to tie Liu’s lead with eight left to play, but a bogey on 12 and a string of six pars put her in the clubhouse with a 6-under 66. Ardina, whose best finishes this season are a pair of back-to-back T26 results, has missed the cut in her past three starts on Tour and was relieved to put together a good first round, especially given her pre-tournament practice schedule.
“To be honest, I only played the back nine for the practice round. I didn't play the front nine, so I was just kind of winging it out there this afternoon. I was just trying to hit fairways and greens. Obviously the greens are kind of fast this week compared to last week, so I was definitely making putts the first ten holes, which is really nice,” Ardina said. “I think it's also I had a good numbers on my approach shots. It wasn't in between clubs at first, so I was just like hitting my numbers and leaving it, you know, where the easiest putt and making the putt.”
Swede Linnea Strom and Chinese Taipei golfer Peiyun Chien shot similar rounds to Ardina, with seven birdies and one bogey on the card putting them in a tie for second on the leaderboard, and in birdies or better along with Liu and Emily Kristine Pedersen (six birdies, one eagle). Also tied for second at 6-under is 2023 LPGA Tour winner Elizabeth Szokol, who was one of nine players to put together a bogey-free round on Thursday.
Defending champion Ally Ewing finished at T20 after shooting a 3-under 69 during the first round. It is the same score Ewing shot in the first round of last year’s event, which was the inaugural playing.
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